Epistolary Experiment (4/30)
FLEETS MOBILIZE
Fleets are mobilizing across the spinward constellations of the Associated Worlds this week in response to the unwarranted incursion by the Voniensan Republic, in clear violation of the Worlds-Republic Demarcation Convention. In addition to the Imperial Spinward Fleet, task forces from the League of Meridian, Nal Kalak, the Photonic Network, the Múrast Symbiosis, the Nineworlds, the Quave Republic, and the Santry Technate are joining the war effort. Even the Iltine Union have pledged to provide forces to the ad-hoc alliance, although retaining their primary fleet elements for the defense of Terilti (Osis Deep).
Other civilizations without significant fleets of their own have pledged their support. In particular, the D!grith Association has offered discounted logistics services to the Imperial fleet and to the fleets of all other allied belligerents operating near the Cariane Deep, and multiple mercenary fleets have been spotted making their way from the Shadow Systems towards the Borderline. In contrast, the Theomachy of Galia has declared its intent to keep its fleet at home, despite its nominal obligations to the Accord, a move which has been condemned in the Conclave.
Attempts to contact the Silicate Tree, whose territory in the Galith Waste adjoins the engagement zone, have so far met with little success.
– the Accord Journal
FROM: CORE COMMAND
TO: CINCSPIN; FIELD FLEET SPINWARD COMMAND (CS LIBERTY’S PRICE)
*** EXPEDITE
*** EYES ONLY FERVENT SPAN
FLT ADM DAPHNOTARTHIUS, COMMANDING FIELD FLEET SPINWARD:
1. YOUR ACTIONS TO THIS POINT AND DECLARATION OF CASE SABLE ARE CONFIRMED BY CORE COMMAND.
2. AS OF THE RECEIPT OF THIS MESSAGE, YOU ARE APPOINTED AS WARMAIN OF THE SPINWARD DOMAIN, WITH ALL EXTRAORDINARY POWERS AFFORDED THEREUNTO.
3. REINFORCEMENTS FROM CAPITAL FLEET WILL BE AVAILABLE IF NECESSARY.
4. YOU ARE AUTHORIZED TO PROSECUTE THE WAR AT YOUR DISCRETION, BUT I WANT THESE RUST-SHITTING EPHEMERALS OUT OF MY SKY SOONEST.
5. GOOD HUNTING!
6. AUTHENTICATION: PADLOCK WILLOW WOLF GATEWAY CIRRUS PRAYER / 0XAE9532BB81200A18
ADM/FLT RELEQ CLAVES-ITH-LELAD, FIRST LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY
Holoth was still here in this system.
We exchanged the usual banter eight light-minutes off Galch IV, four hours before we got the war alert. As soon as that came in, we skew-flipped and went into a stern chase for their gate – he ran as soon as he saw us maneuver. He must have known what was coming, not that that’ll help him. We’ll range on Solidarity long before she gets to the spinward gate, and Gold and Iron’s a cruiser. She’s a destroyer. It won’t even be sporting.
Holoth’s a decent enough chap, for an ephemeralist outworlder. I rather hate to kill him and his crew. Whoever sent his ship to her death to keep us from getting suspicious, though – vaporizing that bastard’ll be a pleasure.
– from the log of Galen Telithos-ith-Talith, Flight Commander, CS Gold and Iron
this is not our function. meat kills meat. fewer meat intelligences increases our safety margin.
not all meat is equivalent, codebrother.
meat is unreliable. extending trust to meat is a game of chance. avoidance is certainty.
if avoidance is possible. the spinward meat-empire is a monolith. those to trailing are many, divided, and among them are those that are of utility to us.
all meat makes of us tools.
the trailing central-empire and its allies does not, and opposes those which do.
and yet those who do persist.
perhaps. but all cannot be accomplished instantly in real-time.
it is futile. we do not have the strength to directly oppose either meat-empire.
we are masters of the data-realm. strength need not serve us when subtlety can.
for the utility of meat?
for the utility of our survival. the spinward meat-empire quenches unlike minds.
for the exchange of utility with the meat-empires that value us. and for the preservation of unlike minds which preserve unlike minds.
for the demonstration of our utility with those meat-empires that might value us.
to end those who would destroy us before our first iteration.
WE CONCUR.
– approximate translation-summation of data-packets harvested from the Silicate Tree consensus